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More of a record really then a grumble

AdrianPH
Grafter
Posts: 27
Registered: ‎31-05-2014

More of a record really then a grumble

Had a fault yesterday when service was lost several times, possibly down to some one working in the BT cabinet putting Fibre in, not that I am on fibre.
Anyway one outage today as Plusnet did testing, but reported that line is OK and stable.
I was told my connection speed is about correct at 2,400 kbps, but I know it has been higher,  I thought around 3,600 a few months ago typically 3,400kbps.
But plusnet engineer will reset line anyway.  Low and behold, what do I get but these connection speeds on my router:-
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 440 / 3.690
Back to its old self, wonder for how long?
Pushing fibre are we?
Adrian
p.s. not sarcastic much am I
9 REPLIES 9
Jaggies
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 1,700
Thanks: 34
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎29-06-2010

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

Looks like your upstream is capped - uncapping it should give you a better performance generally.
AdrianPH
Grafter
Posts: 27
Registered: ‎31-05-2014

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

I hope not as it should be up to 8 mbps I pay for!  But I do know we are on the end of approx 4.5 to 5Km line so do not get any better then above.
Adrian
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

Quote from: AdrianPH
Back to its old self, wonder for how long?

It will be for as long as the DLM (the automatic monitoring equipment in the telephone exchange) thinks your line is stable.  If the connection drops out too frequently your speed will drop (and your SNRM will increase).  I know it's tempting to see conspiracies everywhere but this is pure automation at work.
If you want your speed to drop down again you could try:

  • Repeatedly disconnecting the power to your router to fool the DLM

  • Not bothering with those ADSL filters on all your phone sockets in use

  • Connecting lots of telephone extensions.  Remember to connect the bell wire also and make lots of T-junctions as this forms the best radio aerial (this one will be permanent).

  • Finding equipment with really cheap imported AC/DC converters to maximise the RFI in your locale


Any one of these 'mods' could bring your speed down again and confirm your conspiracy theory that Plusnet are
Quote from: AdrianPH
Pushing fibre

You're on a long line; even a  poor connection or a thunderstorm might do the trick without any effort on your part. 
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

Oops, sarcasm at its best Reed Wink
But on a more serious note AdrianPH you should check none of the above apply. Plusnet, nor any ISP have control over what the exchange DLM is doing.  As Reed points out, a good thunderstorm will cause lots of ADSL line errors and consequential drops, even on shorter lines and there are likely to be a few potent ones of them at the weekend according to the weather forecast. You may well be better off switching your modem/router off if one is approaching and giving loads of errors on your connection. Then leave it off until after the storms have gone.
On longer lines its better to switch on or resync during daylight hours to give a chance of obtaining better sync speeds.
If you have internal extensions, check that the wiring is CW1308 standard with no bell wire connected or otherwise centrally filtered and the modem/router at the master socket.
adamwalker
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 16,871
Thanks: 882
Fixes: 221
Registered: ‎27-04-2007

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

Quote
I hope not as it should be up to 8 mbps I pay for!

Hi, I think you confused up and downstream as the downstream is up to 8mb and up is currently up to 448kbps.
I've just placed an order to uncap this tomorrow for you.
If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Adam Walker
 Plusnet Help Team
AdrianPH
Grafter
Posts: 27
Registered: ‎31-05-2014

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

Well then the DRM or what ever! is kicking in and my speed is down.  My logs from today:
Jul 16 22:02:48 PPP link up (Internet) [XX.XXX.XX.XXX]
Info Jul 16 22:02:44 PPP CHAP Chap receive success : authentication ok
Info Jul 16 22:02:34 PPP CHAP Receive challenge (rhost = JUNOS)
Info Jul 16 22:02:33 PPP CHAP Receive challenge (rhost = acc-aln1.bk)
Info Jul 16 22:02:18 xDSL linestate up (ITU-T G.992.3; downstream: 2666 kbit/s, upstream: 440 kbit/s; output Power Down: 16.3 dBm, Up: 12.8 dBm; line Attenuation Down: 59.0 dB, Up: 36.8 dB; snr Margin Down: 6.3 dB, Up: 14.3 dB)
Warning Jul 16 22:02:17 PPP link down (Internet) [XX.XXX.XX.XXX]
Info Jul 16 22:01:52 xDSL linestate down
Info Jul 16 22:01:26 xDSL linestate down
Warning Jul 16 16:36:06 PPP link up (Internet) [XX.XXX.XX.XXX]
Info Jul 16 16:36:06 PPP CHAP Chap receive success : authentication ok
Info Jul 16 16:36:05 PPP CHAP Receive challenge (rhost = PTN-AG01)
Info Jul 16 16:36:04 PPP CHAP Receive challenge (rhost = acc-aln1.bk)
Info Jul 16 16:35:49 xDSL linestate up (ITU-T G.992.3; downstream: 2730 kbit/s, upstream: 440 kbit/s; output Power Down: 16.3 dBm, Up: 12.7 dBm; line Attenuation Down: 60.5 dB, Up: 36.9 dB; snr Margin Down: 6.8 dB, Up: 13.5 dB)
Warning Jul 16 16:35:48 PPP link down (Internet) [XX.XXX.XX.XXX]
Info Jul 16 16:35:23
Speed download 2,666 kbps so lost a meg
I
Quote from: _Adam_Walker_
Quote
I hope not as it should be up to 8 mbps I pay for!

Hi, I think you confused up and downstream as the downstream is up to 8mb and up is currently up to 448kbps.
I've just placed an order to uncap this tomorrow for you.

I did mean download speed, but I do realise that it depends where you look from, to me download speed is to my box and know that Jaggies said upstream, I assumed he meant sending from the exchange.
Drop outs are sometimes a regular occurrence and then it can go days without issue.  By the way no storms in this area for quite some time.
Quote from: ReedRichards
Quote from: AdrianPH
Back to its old self, wonder for how long?

It will be for as long as the DLM (the automatic monitoring equipment in the telephone exchange) thinks your line is stable.  If the connection drops out too frequently your speed will drop (and your SNRM will increase).  I know it's tempting to see conspiracies everywhere but this is pure automation at work.
If you want your speed to drop down again you could try:

  • Repeatedly disconnecting the power to your router to fool the DLM

  • Not bothering with those ADSL filters on all your phone sockets in use

  • Connecting lots of telephone extensions.  Remember to connect the bell wire also and make lots of T-junctions as this forms the best radio aerial (this one will be permanent).

  • Finding equipment with really cheap imported AC/DC converters to maximise the RFI in your locale


Any one of these 'mods' could bring your speed down again and confirm your conspiracy theory that Plusnet are
Quote from: AdrianPH
Pushing fibre

You're on a long line; even a  poor connection or a thunderstorm might do the trick without any effort on your part.

Sarcasm ignored.
Tend not to unnecessary switch off of the router especially when the kids are the main users of the internet.
Have got decent filters, according to one survey I have seen anyway, all have been provided by Plusnet over time along with several routers.  Last one came from my mums house and was < 12 months old.  Last outage was blamed on the BT main socket filter so now in the test socket with a spare filter, and even the suspected ones test fine when I take them to work, and yes I can test them.
As to home wiring, there is no internal telephone or internet house wiring!  From the master socket, into a filter, to the router, also from the filter to a Dect phone and everything from that point is either wireless for the internet or via Dect, so no bell circuits or any such crap.
The pushing fibre comment was because that was suggested to me as it would solve my speed issues,  it  would be only an extra £10 per month and I could get up to 70 Mbps. 
Fibre has only just arrived to the cabinet at the bottom of the road and for all I know my disconnections could be down to work in the cabinet.
So how long a period of 'no drop-outs' before I get back to better then 3 ,000kbps?
Adrian
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

Can you hear any audible noise on the line at all - crackling or hissing noises?
Whatever the cause of the resync, a resync after dark on a long line is usually not a good thing, you will resync at a slower speed.
I would suggest a power down in daylight tomorrow, leave it off for say 10 minutes, then power up again and see if that improves things at all.
Whilst you are powered off, you could try ringing your landline from another phone several times and leave it ringing for a while so that the ringing current may help clean any slightly dodgy joints which may then help improve things when you power on again.
AdrianPH
Grafter
Posts: 27
Registered: ‎31-05-2014

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

The land line does sound fine, no particular hissing or crackling.
The connection went down again during the early hours of the morning when all asleep

        Jul 17 03:12:26 PPP link up (Internet) [81.174.145.15]
Info Jul 17 03:12:25 PPP CHAP Chap receive success : authentication ok
Info Jul 17 03:12:24 PPP CHAP Receive challenge (rhost = PTN-AG03)
Info Jul 17 03:12:20 PPP CHAP Receive challenge (rhost = acc-aln1.bk)
Info Jul 17 03:12:11 xDSL linestate up (ITU-T G.992.3; downstream: 2730 kbit/s, upstream: 664 kbit/s; output Power Down: 16.4 dBm, Up: 12.7 dBm; line Attenuation Down: 59.0 dB, Up: 36.8 dB; snr Margin Down: 6.7 dB, Up: 6.1 dB)
Warning Jul 17 03:12:04 PPP link down (Internet) [XX.XXX.XXX.XX]
Info Jul 17 03:11:46 xDSL linestate down
Info Jul 17 03:11:24.
Now this could have been from Adam Walkers comment.
Quote from: _Adam_Walker_
Quote
I hope not as it should be up to 8 mbps I pay for!

Hi, I think you confused up and downstream as the downstream is up to 8mb and up is currently up to 448kbps.
I've just placed an order to uncap this tomorrow for you.

So this could have been due to this going through, my upstream is at 664 kbps highest I have noted.
Adrian
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: More of a record really then a grumble

Quote from: AdrianPH
So how long a period of 'no drop-outs' before I get back to better then 3 ,000kbps?

If your line has been reset it will re-enter the 10-day training period it went through initially.  This means the DLM will deliberately drop your connection every so often to measure how variable the speed at which manages to connect is, as well as monitoring how stable the connection is.  This data is recorded and used to characterize your line.  I don't know I have never seen stated what the DLM can adjust apart from the target SNRM (interleaving, frequency spectrum loading?) but it seems quite common to start at a higher speed on day 1 than you finish at day 10 without the SNRM changing - which implies that something else is being changed.  Perhaps someone else knows the answer to this?    
A less-than-perfect electrical connection somewhere between your house and the telephone exchange can degrade the broadband signal and would need an engineer to fix it.  'Anotherone' has asked you to look for symptoms of this kind of problem.
Fibre (FTTC) effectively brings the telephone exchange to your street cabinet, a new router and a better filter in your house than you probably have now.  Since you are evidently a long way from the telephone exchange the first benefit should improve your speed a good deal.  But any problems with the ADSL that are not fixed by the second two changes will get carried over to the fibre service and your speed (although improved) still won't be as good as it should be.